1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to merchandisers, articles useful for displaying a plurality of items for sale, typically positioned in retail outlets to maximize impulse purchasing. More specifically, the present invention is concerned with a pre-loaded, disposable merchandiser, as well as apparatus and a method for producing such merchandisers.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Strip merchandisers are known. Many comprise a strip of material having means for suspending the strip from the top and a plurality of hooks or fingers for supporting an apertured item offered for sale. These types of merchandisers are reusable. After the merchandise has been removed, new merchandise is hung from the strip. This is a time consuming task for delivery people and clerks who reload these strips. Breakage is a frequent problem with commercial, reusable merchandisers requiring replacement.
During a search of the Patent and Trademark Office web site bibliographic patent database, directed to the present invention, the following patents were noted: U.S. Pat. No. 3,954,049 (Brieske) entitled Method of Making Flexible Bag; U.S. Pat. No. 4,378,903) (Sherwood) entitled Hanging Tab With Single Line of Adhesive and Hanging Hole Clear of Adhesive; U.S. Pat. No. 4,546,943 (Fast) entitled Strip Merchandiser; U.S. Pat. No. 4,767,012 (Simmons) entitled Strip Hanger; U.S. Pat. No. 4,817,805 (Rodriquez) entitled Apparatus for Securing. Displaying and Dispensing of Envelope Package Goods; U.S. Pat. No. 4,823,489 (Cea) entitled Method of Making a Three Dimensional Composite Display Card; U.S. Pat. No. 4,911,392 (Fast) entitled Strip Merchandiser with Reinforcement Section; U.S. Pat. No. 5,199,578 (Pendergraph et al.) entitled Clip Strip for Supporting Multiple Packages and Display Assembly Using Same; U.S. Pat. No. 5,248,036 (Radocha, Sr., et al.) entitled Strip Type Point-of-Sale Display Unit; U.S. Pat. No. 5,284,259 (Conway, et al.) entitled Two Sided Merchandising Strip; U.S. Pat. No. 5,339,967 (Valiulis) entitled Strip Merchandiser; U.S. Pat. No. 5,386,916 (Valiulis) entitled Adjustable Strip Merchandiser; U.S. Pat. No. 5,469,959 (Gummer) entitled Hosiery Display Package; U.S. Pat. No. 5,553,721 (Gebka) entitled Reversible Strip Merchandiser; U.S. Pat. No. 5,598,922 (Good) entitled Product Display Hanger; U.S. Pat. No. 5,678,699 (Gebka) entitled Strip Merchandiser Hanger and Label Holder; U.S. Pat. No. 5,683,003 (Gebka) entitled Strip Merchandiser Hanger and Label Holder; U.S. Pat. No. 5,762,212 (Pomerantz) entitled Display Strip Merchandiser; U.S. Pat. No. D412,721 (DeFelice) entitled Merchandising Strip; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,957,422 (Shea) entitled Reinforced Strip Display Assembly Capable of Supporting High Volumes of Smaller Impulse Merchandise.
The Rodriquez patent discloses apparatus for securing, displaying and dispensing envelope package goods. The apparatus comprises a securing strip, a masking strip and adhesive between the two strips. Adhesive for securing a package to the apparatus is applied to the securing strip and is presented through apertures in the masking strip so that packages may be pressed against the exposed adhesive, thereby releasably securing the package to the apparatus. Thus, the Rodriquez apparatus comprises two strips and packages are secured directly to adhesive which, in turn, is secured directly to the securing strip. This requires fairly precise alignment between packages and apertures in the masking strip for securing packages to the strip.
The present invention is based upon discoveries of a pre-loaded, disposable merchandiser, of a machine for producing the merchandiser, of methods for producing the merchandiser, and of methods for displaying items to be sold. The merchandiser comprises a strip, a hanger at one end of the strip for suspending the strip from something, and a plurality of items to be offered for sale, adhesively connected or sealed to the strip in staggered locations on the strip. In a first embodiment, apparatus for producing the merchandiser comprises a strip material feeder operable to deliver or feed strip material to a station to which items to be sold are also delivered, a tape arm operable to advance tape, a tape cutter operable to cut off a piece of the tape, and an install pad operable to apply the piece of tape to a portion of the strip and to a portion of an item to be sold or to packaging for the item. In a method for producing the merchandiser with apparatus of the first embodiment, the items to be sold are delivered to the station of the apparatus and so is the strip material until a portion of the next item is adjacent to a portion of the strip material. Tape is advanced through the tape arm, and the tape cutter and the install pad are advanced to cut off a piece of the tape and to engage the piece of tape. The install pad is advanced to apply the piece of tape to a portion of the strip material and to a portion of the item or the packaging for the item. The strip material with the item secured thereto is advanced and a fresh portion of the strip material is delivered to the station. A new item is delivered to the station as well, and the previously recited steps are repeated so that a new piece of tape is applied to the fresh portion of the strip material and to a portion of the next item or packaging for the item. Additional items are secured to successive portions of the strip material until a desired number of items are supported on the strip. The strip material is cut to release a loaded merchandiser from the strip material. Preferably, an aperture is punched or another hanger is formed in the strip at the end from which it is desired to hang the strip. In the former case, the portion of the strip adjacent to the aperture constitutes a hanger which can support the merchandiser on a hook or the like. Other hangers may certainly be employed.
In a second embodiment of apparatus for producing a merchandiser, the tape arm, the tape cutter and the tape install pad are replaced with a heat element which heat seals a portion of an item or packaging for an item to a portion of the strip material which, preferably, is a heat seal tape or tabbing tape. In a method for producing the merchandiser with apparatus of the second embodiment, the items to be sold are delivered to the station of the apparatus and so is the strip material until a portion of the next item or packaging for the item is adjacent to a portion of the strip material. A heat element is advanced to heat the portion of the next item or packaging for the item, the adjacent portion of the strip material, or both, until the portion of the item or packaging for the item is adhered or secured to the portion of the strip material. The strip material with the item secured thereto is advanced and a fresh portion of the strip material is delivered to the station. A new item is delivered to the station as well, and the previously recited steps are repeated so that a portion of the new item or packaging for the item is secured to the fresh portion of the strip material. Additional items are secured to successive portions of the strip material until a desired number of items are supported on the strip. The strip material is, again, cut to release a loaded merchandiser from the strip material.
A merchandiser according to the present invention is disposable and comprises a minimal amount of material. A person charged with stocking items loaded on a merchandiser according to the present invention can stock a plurality of the items by hanging a single merchandiser.
In the case where the items to be secured to a strip to produce a merchandiser constitute snack foods packaged in bags by means of vertical form, fill and seal equipment, it may be desired to secure a portion of the sealed end of each bag to successive portions of the strip material. In that case, difficulty may be encountered because the sealed ends of one or more bags may be substantially non-planar so that the end of the bag doesn""t lay flat against the portion of the strip material. This situation is addressed by apparatus, according to the instant invention, comprising a straightener for straightening the edge of a bag or the like, and a gripper for engaging the end of the bag so that the edge remains substantially straight. The straightener preferably comprises a pair of brush rollers that rotate in opposite directions. Preferably, the brush rollers are mounted on swing arms so that they can be pivoted from a first position in which the rollers are adjacent to each other and are operable to straighten the edge of the bag, to a second position in which they are positioned away from the edge of the bag. Preferably, a stop is mounted on the swing arms adjacent to the roller brushes and, when the swing arms are in the first position and a bag edge passes between the brush rollers, the bag edge is advanced by the action of the brush rollers until it engages the stop. At that instant, a gripper engages the end of the bag, the swing arms and the stop are moved to the second position, and the gripped bag is advanced to position a portion of the edge adjacent to a target portion of the strip material for taping or heat sealing thereto.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a pre-loaded merchandiser which makes restocking an item as simple as hanging the merchandiser somewhere.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for producing the merchandiser which is pre-loaded with items to be sold.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a method for producing a pre-loaded merchandiser.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will no doubt become apparent to those skilled in the art after having read this detailed description of the invention including the following description of the preferred embodiment which is illustrated by the various figures of the drawing.